World of Warcraft: The Spider Kingdom
Introduction The ancient kingdom of Azjol-Nerub flourished for millennia beneath the frozen land of Northrend. The evil Lich King and his Scourge ended the reign of the nerubians, and seized their dead to bolster his fledgling army. The Spider Kingdom is dead... but many powerful forces still battle over its remains. When the Cataclysm tore apart Azeroth, the devastation reached even the distant roof of the world. Armies of nerubians began to rise from Azeroth's underworld, laying waste to the surface. For years the nerubian race had been teetering on the edge of extinction, but this new army is vast and innumerable, made up of a new generation of living nerubians. Dedicated to the worship of the Old Gods and to sweeping away the races of the surface world, the nerubians are a deadly power that has erupted back into the world and threaten all living things. World of Warcraft: The Spider Kingdom will take adventurers into the dark underworld of Azeroth, exploring the hidden depths of the ancient kingdom of Azjol-Nerub... and more. Dread forces have been unleashed by Deathwing's Cataclysm, and primordial horrors from Azeroth's past are on the rise. The Spider Kingdom will be the battleground that these enemies must be fought and defeated on, less they swarm forth and overwhelm the world. Spider Kingdom Expansion Changes and Updates *'The Spider Kingdom Revealed': New content zones have been added - The Upper Kingdom, the Shadow Web Caverns, and Ahn'Saron - the Inner Kingdom. These zones are accessed through the Pit of Narjun in Dragonblight. A fourth zone, the Wound of the World, acts as the center of the Spider Kingdom and a natural barrier separating the leveling zones, but contains no leveling content. *New zone content is level 90+. *The Path of War - new leveling system for 90+ content. *The Art of War - a 4th spec for all classes. *'Level cap is set at 95'. Advancing from one level to the next will involve more than simply acquiring a certain amount of experience points. Players will advance using the new Path of War progression system. *The Cataclysm has rent Northrend asunder, altering many of it's regions. The fall of Arthas and the rise of a new Lich King has also brought about a drastic change in the balance of power all across the continent. *New dungeons and raid instances have been discovered throughout the new Spider Kingdom zones, as well as the newly reshaped Northrend zones. *New battlegrounds and many new arenas are available. Patches There are three major content patches for the Spider Kingdom expansion. *'Patch X.1.0 - The Shattered Empire' *''Patch X.2.0 - Malevolence Rising'' *''Patch X.3.0 - The King of Darkness'' The Art of War - Fourth Specializations for all Classes The world is filled with enemies more dangerous than mortal minds can truly understand. Distant lands thought lost to time have been found. New worlds have been discovered. Powers ancient and unfathomable have been harnessed. The mortal defenders of Azeroth are prepared to unlock new skills and new ways to wage war. All classes in the Spider Kingdom have been granted 4 specializations, allowing players to unlock their character's full potential and take them into battle in never-before-seen ways. The Path of War - Unique New Leveling System Players will no longer grow by simply by acquiring experience points to advance one level at a time. Players will be able to customize their character progression using the Path of War. New Zones The Spider Kingdom's new high level zones are accessed in Dragonblight, where the Pit of Narjun has become a massive sinkhole, leading deep beneath the surface of Azeroth. Regions of the Spider Kingdom *'file:Neutral 15.pngThe Upper Kingdom': The first region of the Spider Kingdom, accessible through the Pit of Narjun. This vast cavern encompasses underground portions of Dragonblight and beyond. Baelgun Flamebeard and his surviving forces maintain the fortress of Doorward, keeping a close watch on the horrors that lurk in Azeroth's underworld. *file:Neutral 15.png Shadow Web Caverns: A vast zone flourishing with the life of Azeroth's underworld. Forests of giant mushrooms blanketed in spider webbing, swamps of phosphorescent plants, and the ever-present temple cities of the nerubians all await exploration. *file:Neutral 15.pngAhn'Saron, the Inner Kingdom: The heart of the Spider Kingdom. The temples and palaces of the nerubians stretch as far as the eye can see, and tower far overhead to touch the distant cavern ceiling. The forces of the nerubians and the servants of the Old Gods hold full dominion here. *file:Neutral 15.png Wound of the World: Ringed by the other regions of the Spider Kingdom, this great chasm in Azeroth's underworld stretches down into impenetrable darkness. Nerubian structures are built all along the jagged cliffs, and mad whisperings can be heard by any who attempt to fly across. Other Realms in Azeroth's Underworld *file:Neutral 15.png Azj'Aqir, the Shattered Empire: The kingdom of Azj'Aqir encompasses a vast region of Azeroth's underworld, and has been shaped and re-shaped by millennia of upheaval. This region is made available with Patch X.1. Dungeons and Raids Map of the Upper Kingdom.Below are some of the new dungeon and raid instances to be found: New Dungeons found in Spider Kingdom Zones *'Doorward Underhalls' - A dungeon contained in the dwarven stronghold of Doorward. Baelgun Flamebeard and his forces are struggling to keep the monstrous creatures from Azeroth's dark underworld contained. *'Naz'Amun, the Crawling City' - In the heart of the Upper Kingdom is the Crawling City, a stronghold of the new generation of nerubians seeking to conquer the surface world. *'Vault of the Titans' - A portion of the Vault of Archavon that reaches deep underground. The true treasure of the Vault is sealed inside, and the forces of the Twilight Hammer want it. *'Hanging Tower of Naz'Zuraq' - A massive nerubian tower stretching high above Shadow Web forest. *'Ahn'Vekir, the First City' - One of the oldest portions of Azjol-Nerub, dating back to the arrival of the nerubians' mysterious ancestors, the aqir. *'Terrormaw Hold' - Beneath the roots of the failed world tree, Vordrassil, the furbolg of the Terrormaw tribe are preparing to release an unspeakable evil... *'Halls of Flame' - A substructure of Ulduar, which powers the entire complex. Watcher Mimiron has uncovered dire peril to all of Storm Peaks here. *'Halls of Horror' - Yogg-Saron was not the only ancient monster that the Titans imprisoned deep within Ulduar. Other horrors yet remain to face. *'Altar of the Old Gods' - In the Inner Kingdom, the Altar of the Old Gods stands. Inscribed on the black obelisks that form its center are the names of the five Old Gods... New Dungeons found in Northrend Zones *'Naxxramas: the Fallen Necropolis' - The fallen remnants of Naxxramas in Dragonblight still contain a terrible evil. *'Riplash Ruins' - The Cataclysm has uncovered more of these mysterious ruins in the Borean Tundra, and the naga are after their secrets. Level 94 Dungeons *'Sunken City of Zul'Ur' - One of the lost cities of the trolls, swallowed by the earth during the Sundering. Remnants of an ancient tribe of trolls still endure here. *'Azj'Naggai, the Dead City' - Once the center of the Azj'Aqir empire, it is now an empty tomb. Clues to the true fate of the aqir can be found here. *'Nameless Citadel: Halls of Shattered Time' - The Nameless Citadel was once the stronghold of the Old God, C'Thun. His servants still plot evil within its twisting, non-euclidean halls... Future Dungeons *'Karazhan Depths' - Something wicked is on the rise beneath Karazhan... New Raids Tier X.0 Raids *'The Necropolis of Nerub' - An ancient structure holding the nerubian dead of thousands of years. The remnants of the undead Scourge seek to raise an unstoppable army here. *'Nidhogg's Lair' - A titanic proto-dragon has made a home amongst the roots of Vordrassil in Shadow Web Caverns. Only the bravest of adventurers dare face the beast in it's lair. *'Palace of the Spider Queen' - The last stronghold of the nerubians. Deep within the Royal Quarter is the queen of the entire sinister race, a creature of terrible power who hates all that dwell in the light. Tier X.1 Raids *'Twilight of Dalaran' - The Twilight Scourge assaults Dalaran. Their dread necropolis, Malykriss, darkens the sky overhead, and an even deadlier secret weapon lies within. *'Nameless Citadel: Orrery of C'Thun' - In C'Thun's ancient citadel, a diabolical machine designed and built by the Old God grinds to life... *'Degaton's Vault' - The deepest chamber of the Vault of Archavon, containing a servant of the titans imprisoned long ago. Future Raids *'The Shattered Sanctums' - The Chamber of Aspects in Wyrmrest Temple once housed the secret sanctums of the dragonflights. They were destroyed during the Cataclysm, but something now stirs within them. Something sinister... *'Utgarde Catacombs' - Beneath Utgarde Keep lies an elaborate series of catacombs where the vrykul entombed themselves during their long sleep. The Cataclysm has exposed new areas, and Death Queen Angerboda plans to exploit the slumbering army within. Factions and organizations *http://www.wowpedia.org/Horde Nightmare Soldiers - The new Horde offensive that has vowed to stop the terrors of Azeroth's underworld. *http://www.wowpedia.org/Alliance Deep Savers - The new Alliance battleforce that has been gathered to end the threat of the Twilight Scourge. *http://www.wowpedia.org/Neutral Doorward Defenders - The secret protectors of Azeroth, the Doorward Defenders stands against the growing darkness in the depths of the world. A subfaction of the Warders of the Dark. *http://www.wowpedia.org/Neutral The Sundered Monolith - A force of nerubians opposed to the maniacal plotting of the Newbreed empire. Gaining their trust will not be an easy task. *http://www.wowpedia.org/Neutral Doorward Vanguard - The forces of Doorward devoted to seeking out and destroying the terrors of the underworld before they rise. A subfaction of the Warders of the Dark. *http://www.wowpedia.org/Horde Tomb Reavers - A Horde faction seeking to plunder the treasures of the Spider Kingdom. A subfaction of the Bronzebeard Undertaking. *http://www.wowpedia.org/Alliance Relic Seekers - An Alliance group working to uncover the secrets hidden in Azjol-Nerub. A subfaction of the Bronzebeard Undertaking. *http://www.wowpedia.org/Neutral The Bronzebeard Undertaking - Brann Bronzebeard has returned to Northrend to root out the last secrets of the Titans, hidden deep beneath the earth. *http://www.wowpedia.org/Neutral The Obsidian Scythe - Tol'vir once corrupted by the nerubians, seeking revenge against the Spider Kingdom. *http://www.wowpedia.org/Neutral Quartzclaw Clan - The duggum are a peaceful race of mole-like humanoids who have survived hidden in the underworld for millennia. They know many secrets of the stone. *http://www.wowpedia.org/Neutral Doorward Spearhead - An army of brave souls from the surface world, poised to invade the very heart of the Spider Kingdom. A subfaction of the Warders of the Dark. *http://www.wowpedia.org/Neutral Warders of the Dark - The combined agencies of Doorward, united together against the threats of the underworld.